Heppner gazette., May 21, 1908, Image 1

Oregon TTM.rJon I Socinly
City Unll
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HEPPNER, OREGON, THURSDAY, MAY & 1908
VOL. 24.
NO.
MOMENT OF SOBER THOUGHT
Heppner Business Man Talks Sense
on Prohibition.
Heppner, Oregon,
May 16, 1908.
Editor Gazette:
Now that the qaestion of local
option is occupying bo much space
in the newspapers, and the public
pulse is beating a little above the
normal condition, it is time for a
moment of sober thought before
jumping at conclusions.
Like all other questions of pub
lic importance, there are always a
few agitators on both sides who
allow prejudice, spite and other
personal influences to rule instead
of good sober judgment.
The American people usually
nettle things'right, for the reason
that the sober thinking citizens
hold the balauce of power and act
1 1 j
as a governor in uoiaing aown
those who go blindly to the polls.
It is not my desire to tire the
reader with dry statistics, but in
order to get right into mv subject
I submit the following excerpts
which I hope will furnish some
food for thought
The first excerpt is from the pen
of George W. reck, former gover
uor of Wisconsin, who is traveling
in the south studying the prohibi
tion question.
Atlanta, Ga., May 9. After doing
Tennessee and watching its thousands
of express packages marked "Glass
handle with care," and seeing the pack
ages placed in the extra cars, I not on
the same train and rode to Atlanta, fear
ing all the time that if the fiont end of
the train should meet another train, those
express cars loaded with liquid dynamite
would telescope our chair car and I
would he cut with broken glass and
drowned in Squirrel whiskey and be car
ried home smelling like a rectifying es
tablishment; but nothing happened, and
I got into a state that is all dry, accord
ing to law, but quite damp in places,
owing to ttie kindness of neighboring
wet states. In the tirst of January Geor
gia became dry by act of the legislature,
every saloon and bar was closed, and all
liquor was shipped away the day before
or h-idden for private use. and a sort of
paralysis seized the whole of one of the
greatest states in the union, the "empire
state of th south." And what a grand
state it is, with its splendid rich soil that
will grow anything that is planted, i s
fruit, its manufacturing, its timber, its
navigable rivers, its eutranca to the
ocean at Savannah, where ocean steam
era wait to be loaded for the pirts of the
world. Tanic, prohibition, political
preachers, low price of cotton and other
ills have made the people of Georgia sit
up and take medicine, and no one is very
cheerful, and all are hopeful of a change
and they are living economically, trying
to live until after the presidential elec
tion, hoping things will 03 better, but
fearing that they will be worse.
I had more faith in a prohibition state
being aotuaMy dry a while ago than I do
now. I had a friend who bad been
drinking to pxppps a few months ago and
some of in decided to send him to a Kee
ly cure, but he begged off", saying the
humiliation of going to a jag cure would
kill him, and a happy thought struck
me and I suggested to his friends that
we send him to a sure enomzh prohibi
tion state. That met with his approval
and the approval of his fr'ends, and so
we sent him to der old Georgia, where
I had bten told yon couldn't get a drink
in the whole ftate for love or money. I
thought he could enj iy the lovely spring
climate, and not lining able to get a
drink he woul I soDn he a credit to Ins
friends anil famdy. So 1 wrote to some
friends at Atlanta and told them he wan
a friend ot mine who wanted a nice 'dry'
climate to brace up ir.. I got a telegram
while in Chattanooja from the friends I
had sent him to, that 1 had better hurry
down as my jag friend needed aid and
counsel. When I got there he was the
worst looking specimen 1 ever saw; his
collar gone, his shirt soiled, his eyes red,
and he was tiying to walk straight, but
couldn't. He took me to his ronm anil
there were over 40 bottles lie had or
dered by express from Tennessee, and
lie said I was mistaken in the prohibi
tion that was supposed to exist in Geoi -gia.
He said all a man needed was the
price and he could be drunk all the time,
and I could readily believe him. He
wss given a ticket to Dwighty Illinois,
and I gness he has had bis first shot of
the gold cure before this.
Take for instance Kansas City,
Kansas. No saloons but just as
much liquor consumed. They just
step across the line and bring it
over. The drag store sale of liquor
under
But then we are getting a long
way from home. Go over to Tilla
mook county in tuis fctate. it is a
well known fact that just as much
liquor is being shipped into Tilla
mook county today as there was
before local option carried the
county. Now what is' this liquor
beincr shipped in there for? To
driDk of course.
The above are only a few illus
trations. These conditions in a
more or less degree prevail in every
local option .county and state iu
the union today.
In the first place, I want to dis
cuss this question from strictly a
moral standpoint.
The supposed intent of local op
tion is to eliminate the evils of
drinking. Let us admit that drink
ing is an evil. There is no more
argument on this. If the law was
general and would wipe out cot
only the saloon but the liquor with
it, all over the country, then it
would be another question, but I
believe that local option with its
attendant violations of law caused
by blind pigs, the surreptitious
handling and buying of liquor will
bring about a greater evil than the
open saloon.
The saloon men of Morrow coun
ty pay for the privilege of selling
liquor from $500 to 8700 per year.
They are also compelled to file a
bond with responsible sureties in
the sum of 81000, which they for
feit in case of violation of the law.
If j'our boy gets liquor today, it
is through collusion with somevic
cious person who buys a bottle and
gives it to him. He can get the
bottle just the same under local op
tion for this law will not eliminate
men of this sort.
If one evil is to be removed at
the cost of greater evil in return,
then do we want to make a change?
Now from a business proposition.
To read the papers one would think
that Morrow county wasgomgover
to Sherman to vote. Sherman
county taxes is about all that we
have heard in relation to local op
tion in this county.
The main argument that has been
introduced is from letters from a
Sherman county merchant. This
merchant lays great stress on the
fact that his business was some
what bigger for one month last fall
than it was the year before local
option went into effect.
Such talk as this is worse than
childish, yes, eveu silly. Every
body knows that two years ago
Sherman county hid almost a crop
failure. Why Sherman county did
not huve enough wheat to sell to
Hag a bread wagon. Now this
merchant is in a very small town
and his trade is mainly with the
farmeis. Sherman county depends
almost solely on agriculture the
growing of wheat. Now, with a
crop failure and a low price for
what little wheat the farmers did
have, it is strange indeed that they
bought sparing! of this merchant.
Now take it last year. The
whole Inland Empire had a bump
er wheat crop the biggest crop
ever known in the country. ?The
price was also higher than it has
been for years. The farmers of
Sherman county like all of the other
farmers in Eastern Oregon made
money. The whole country was
prosperous. Is there anything
has increased 1400 per cent
prohibition.
strange about tha fact that this
merchant sold more goods last year
than the year before. We presume
that he thinks that local option
broucht the big crop. Such talk is
all rot.
The records do not lie and they
do Bhow that taxes are mgner in
Sherman county than before local
option went into effect.
Now in the town of Heppner the
saloons pay $1500 per year inlicen
ses. If local option carries, the
town will need just as many lights,
just as much water, just as many
sidewalks; in fact the city govern
ment will cost just as much. How
will we eet this money. There is
only one way and that is to impose
a tax. To raise this money will in
crease taxation and there is no ar
gument to it.
Not only that, property will de
crease iu value, and when property
decreases in the towns do not think
that it will stop there. , It will
reach out into the country and farm
lands will slump in values along
with the town property.
A Business Man.
AKIil'nEIT OF THE WEiKLlMU
When Cornered with Fact "You
are it Mar" In all lie Can Offer.
When a demagogue or a weakling is
overwhelmed in an argument and con
fronted with facts he cannot answer, his
convenient resort is "You are a liar."
A jack ass can .oake a great noise or a
parrot may chatter, but that is not ar
gument. It is therefore little wonder
that E. M. Shutt, in his comment in an
article which appeared in the columns
of the Gazette of the 7th. with refer
ence to proh.bit'on in Sherman county,
being a demagogue of the first water
and a weakling of the weakest type,
should proclaim as he does that what
was said of Sherman county is "a pack
of lies." Nevertheless the records of
Sherman county show every statement
made in the article referred to is true,
tbat the countv tax for 1905 was eight
mills, for 1900, 10 mills and for 1907,
12 miliar that the city tax o Grass
Valley was 3 mills in 1905, and fc r the
past two years has been 12 mills, and
that of Wasco nothing in 1905, and has
been 15 mills for the past two years: al
so the evidence is there to show for
itself that there are more vacant build
ings in Grass Valley, and Moro today
than ever before in the history of those
two towns- So where does Mr. Shutt
get his authority for saying any single
statement made in the article he objects
to is a "lie?"
The t onbl'j with Shutt is that lie is
endeavoring to ride into office on the
prohibition bobby; that he lias been
saying things that hHVe. been accepted
as true without investigation; that he
has been confronted with a few facte
that contradict his statements, and lik
sll other demagogues whn so cornered,
all he can do is to say "You are a liar."
In so doing he acknowledges the weak
ness of his alleged argument and brands
himself as an AnnaniaB who wonld put
the champion falsifier ot ib!e times to
shame.
Special
Feature
(ival In
of the ICose
Portland.
Fe.
As a night entertainment for the
many thousands of visitors who
will be in Portland during her
great special celebration, the Fes
tival of Roses, Pain's entire pro
duction of Vesuvius, pictured in
lines of fire, will be brought from
Manhattan Beach, New York, for
thigreat event.
This is one of the most colossal,
thrilling and enchanting exhibi
tions that has ever been produced.
fhf spectators see before them
within the great amphitheatre a
vast mimic city, coveting several
acres of ground, with real buildings
palaces, arches and other specimens
of neapolitan architecture in the
foreground and grim old Mt. Ye
suvius in the background, towering
high above the ill-fated city.
Glen Boyer has leased his in
terest in the Liberty Heat Market
to Roy Gray. '
Sam Meadows has returned from
Moberly, Mo., where he went to
visit a sister who was very sick.
Human Filters.
The function of the kidneys is to strain
out the impurities of the blood which is
constantly passing through them. Fo
ley's Kidney Remedy makes the kid
neys healthy so they will strain oat all
waste matter from the blood. Take Fo
ley's Kidnev Remedy at once and it will
make you well, Slocum Drag Co.
DOES THE
And Does Prohibition Prohibit.
We are told by the advocotes of the
saloon that if the saloon is voted out
of
Morrow county it wi;l stagnate business
depreciate property and drive out many
people. That if we have prohibition the
law cannot nor will not be enforced
now sraie.i ents are not tacts, nor mere
assertion evidence anywhere. V hat we
want to know in this discussion is the
truth. And as Patrick Henry said, "We
have no light by which we may beguid
ed but the light of experience," and
guided by thht light we must be gov
erned in our actions in this contest
Waving the moral issue for a few min
utea and confining ourselves to the less
er trie linanciaj sine of the argument
and letting our brother who dreams ot
"niille" instead of dollars dream on, we
wi 1 pass for a moment to more etupen
dom sums.
It is the boast of the liquor traffic that
its existence is necessary to the life and
prosperity of nation, state and commun
itv that tiif h could not get along with
out the revenue arising from the traffic
Taking their own boast we quote from a
leading li'j'ior jourtul, "llie Champion
ofrairl'In, of Chicsgo. It says
"The United States government has
spenf from 1863 to 1007 for its magnifi
cent navy, $1,892,417,340. The liquor
trade of the United States during the
same time paid Uncle Sam $3,540,011,
893 What would the country do with
out that enormous revenue?" At first
reading that amount seems large indeed
but let us look at the other side ot the
led er and we may then get some sort
of concept of the situation. We shall
then see whether the government has
been a gainer or looser In this deal.
Carl D. Wright, the great government
statistician, says that for every dollar
received from the liquor trafic it costs
the government 821 00.
Let as see bow near right he is. Prof.
Cnarles J. B ishnell, Ph. D., of Wash
inglon, V. C. has lately shown that the
annual cost to the United States of "ab
normal dependents" is 8500.000.000.
Prostitution, $700,000,000, professional
crime, Cou,0UU,00U, and estimates un
professional crime at $1,200,000,000. The
chieluthorities of the country such as
Judge Noah Davis e.ud other eminent
jurists have fixed the per cent, of crime
in the United .States due to the liquor
traffic at from 80 per cent to 90 per cent,
and Dr. WiPard Parker, the ablest phv
sician New York has ever bad, fixes the
per cent, due to drink, of idiocy at 35
per cent, lunacy at 45 per cent, crime
80 per cent, and pauperism at 90 per
cent. A most c uservative estimate of
crime dne to drink is 75 per cent. Tak
ing these estimates a a basis and we
find that the 35 per cent and 45 per cent
above, averaging 40 per cent of amount
paid for lunacy and idiocy is $175 000,000.
75 per cent of criminality, professional
and unprofessional, would be $1,387,500,-
000. Supposing prostitution to be 65 per
cent due to drink and you have $455.-
0(10,000 more, to which add the drink
bill last yearof $1,650,000,000. Now add
to this th loss from the productive pow
er o the lUo.HUu "abnormal dependents
out of the 265,000, 72,000 paupers o t of
the 80,000, 63,750 criminal out of 85,-
000, the 1,200,000 worthless besotted
victims of the traffic and the 100,000
tramps turned on the road every year
because of drink and you hve an army
of 1,541,750 persons whom, according to
Carl D Wright, are worth on the aver
age as producers $10 50 per capita and
you have the enormous sum of waste,
not counting loss of character, manhood
and snul, of $5,912,113,646, to which add
the aboye itetaa of the cost or drink and
yrm have the amazu g sum of $9,579,
613,646 that the nation pays annually
for the privilege of collecting 83,540.
011. S1'3 during an entire period of 44
years or an averaee of $S0,454 Sl", an
nnaliy. Shades of our fathers is that
business? Reminds me of a man pay
inn some one Si 05 to get a nickel.
What stupendous business ta'ents we
have anyway. Put e'op. The drink
bill of the nation alone for that same 44
years has h?en soinethi g like $20 2."0,
780,913. Now ad . to this the other vast
sum due to the traffic, making an allow
ance of the miialler amount of i rime and
expense, ns we iro back, and allowing in
the average of 44 yeurs that the cost i
but one-third of the amount now paid
nrTyou have an average of $2.643,'i'4.
54, per annum, or a sum total of 116,
301.000,112, which added to the amount
paid for drink in the same period and
von have the stupendous sum of 8145,
5rd.7Sl.025. Now hri g out that little
mite of S3. 540.01 l.SiVi, for which the
government had to pay the enormous
sum a'ove in order to meet expenses or
"bust" and yon will see what fools w
mortals be. Wise statesmanship and
sound business ?ense that. No wonder
there is po much poverty. We need a
thunder shower of holiness men and
businfps sense in tbis nation.
But what about the effects of the si
loon in communities and states you ask.
Doesn't it pay there? And isn't it a
fact that prohibition does not prohibit?
Let experience again answer. There
is poor old "bleedin" Kansas; poor old
thing with her grasshoppers and prohi
bition to make her sad. (iuess she has
gone to the "b w-w ows" long ago. But
let ns see. Governor Hoch says that
the law is as well enforced in the great
bulk of conntie as sny other law and
facts prove it, and it is proving that 75
per cent of crime is due to drink and 90
per cent of pauperism. Before prohibi
tion went into effect there, the Internal
SALOON PAY?
Revenue report shows that $10,000,000
worth of liquor we it into Kansas each
year. Now under prohibition and with
more than double the population it hen
had, the fame department shows that
there is but 81.000,000 or 20 timee less
oonsnmed under prohibitio than before.
Of her 105 counties it is said that 64 are
without a single pauper; 25 counties
have no poor hou?e ; 37 counties have
not a single occupant in the jails, and
last year 37 couuties had not a single
criminnl case on the court dockt. And
it is said that some of its jails have been
let as corn cribs. The state is wonder
ful in prosperi y. Possibly the private
indebtedness of her citizens is smaller
than any other state. And her eaviugs
bank deposits are three time as treat
as average of the United States Maine
which has had pruhibhi )n since 1855,
has 8121.76 per capita deposited in her
savingH-banks, while the wtt state? of I
II inois and Ohio hrve but S2f.75 and
$11 5S per capita rrspectivelv, Pennsyl
vania either $9 00 or 814 0;), I f'luet
which. And Maine's bank deposi 8 are
$22,000,000 greater thau wide open Obio
has with her six times greater popula
tion, lhat Maine enforces he laws can-
not be doubted. List year she fined a
man 8550 for "biot-legging" and as h"
could not. pv it he w s committed to
jad for 1525 days, or 4 years, 2 months
and 4 days. Another was recently lined
$1000 and imprisonment. Yet we are
rold that prohibitory laws are not en
forced. In Texas there is but one con
vict in every $1500 population in her drv
counties while there is one to 500 in he
wet counties. 23 counties have not one
convict in the pen 9 have hut me each
while 7 have but 2 each. 39 dry coun
ties bave all combined but 23 convicts,
while 2 wet counties have three times
as many as the 39 prohibition , counties.
fhe wet counties furnish the bulk of
convicts. ,.
Now to communities. Since St. Louis
closed her saloons one day in the week,
Sunday, crime has decreased 60 percent
and property increased in value 25 per
cent. Kansas Citv, Kansas, closed he
256 saloons in June, 1906. Since then
in the 22 months up to April just past
her population has increased 11, ISO, (it
now has a population of 100,000), her
debt reduced $411 470, property valua
tion increased 84,778,000, building 200
per cent, business greatly increased,
police force cut down one half. Bank
deposits of working men have increased
40 per cent. Total increased deposits of
all classes in the 22 months, $3,7SS,000.
Crime decreased 85 per cent, and citv
assessments for taxes are 20 cents less
on the $100. Yet prohibition hurts a
a community. Say let us get hurt. Pro
hibitionists deal in large things, not in
'mills." Charles II . Porter.
Abe Blackmail, of Portland, is
in the city to attend the graduat-
j exercises of the High School
class.
Entirely Under Local Control a n d Ala nagement
Bank of Heppner
Capital $50,000
Fully Paid
Officers
W. O. MINOR. President
J. H. McHALEY, Vice-President
V. S. WHARTON, Cashier
VAWTER CRAWFORD,
Asst. Cashier
Loans Made at
FOUR FEB GE3T IHTEREOT
WE ARE
Gain in Deposit?, mo-.tli of January..
. . February.
' " " " March....
Total srain for fi'st three month?, l!VK
NOT BAD FOR THE DILL SEASON.
Ideal Gentleman's Resort
BILLIARD AND POOL ROOMS
We take ppecial pride in keeping our Tobacco and
Cigars in excellent condition. Forty different brands
ot high grade cigars constantly in etock. Try one of
our Haranas. Cigsrs wholesale add Retail.
Liberty Meat Market
(II Mil
Boyer & Wherry
Fresh and Salted Meats:
Fish on Fridays
Highest market prxre:
paid ror fat stock
HEPPNER. OREGON
Pacific Lodging
House
fC.N.SH.NN. Prop
Good clean rooms.
none better in town.
Come and Stop With 5sr
MAIN STREET, HEPPNER, OX.C-
NOTICE FOK
PUBLICATION.
Hale.
(Public Lt-iA
Isolated Tract
V. S. Land Office, The Dalles. Oregtw.
April 16th, I'm.
Notice is hereby given f at, a! directed by t
Commissioner of theOeneral Land Office. ami -provisions
of Act of Congress approved Inns
1906, Publio No. 303, we will offer at prtSc
sale, to the highest bidder, at 11 : 30 o'clock au.
on the 26th day of May next, at this otfioe, tka
following tract ol laud, to-wit: NW!4 oC
Section 21, T. 5 S., R. 26 E. W. M,
Any persons claiming adversely th 4ove
deecribed lauds are advised to file their ijaiv
or objections, on or before the day abore fet
nated for sale.
Aprl6-May21 C. W. MOORE, Kegiw-
LOt'13 H. ARNHSON, VLecarec
Notice For Publication.
Department of the Interior,
Laud Office at The Dalles, Oregon, '
April I, iSt. i
Notice is hereby given that Narclssa C. .
formerly Narcinsa C. Sprinkle, of HeppjienOot
gon, has filed notice of her intention to
final five-year proof in support of herelaisa
Homestead Entry No. 10-183, made Mare fcl.
l'XK, for tho NEK SE!i Eoc. 25. T. 4 S., R. fc'.
W. M.. additional to H. E No. 11153, La Get ale.
Oregon, eeriee, for lots 3 and 4, Sec. 30, ls
1 Section 31. Townthip 4 S., Range 27 E. W. E
and that said proof will be made before . P.
Williams. U. S, Commissioner, at Hepp:tr. Or
on May 16, 1908.
She names the following witnesses to jjwcw
her continuous residence upon, and cu.t.B!iik
of, tha land viz:
Charles Osten and Matt Hughes of Beppcer.
Oregon, Aprl6-May21 C. W. MOORE, Renter-.:
Directors
W. O. MINOR
C. E. WOODSON
W. G. SCOTT
J- II. McHAT.EY
W. S. WHARTON
Eight
Per
Cent I
PHIQ QH TliuE BEPOSiTS
GROWING
.si'i:.5..vt
T" mil ii 1